A pizza parlour in London‘s south has become a viral sensation with foodies travelling for hours and lining up around the block to get a slice of the action.
Bombay Pizza in Wallington is making a name for itself with its unusual – yet delicious – fusion pies that marry Italian and Indian cuisines.
Fronted by Apprentice runner-up Anisa Khan, 26, the new hot spot has been so inundated with orders that staff are working overtime to keep up with demand.
The hype comes after Anisa battled it out with fellow contestant Dean Franklin on the BBC reality show’s finale where the pair had to relaunch and rebrand their existing businesses.
After 11 long weeks, the final two were tasked with creating a new brand, producing an advertising campaign, and then pitching their business to Lord Sugar and other leading industry experts to receive his £250,000 investment.
For the challenge, the young businesswoman created a chickpea pizza with a flavourful dahl base and changed the company name to Zaal Pizza.
Although Lord Sugar favoured Dean’s pitch and crowned him the winner, viewers rallied behind Anisa.
Since the finale was aired, Bombay Pizza – operating under its original name again – has received so many orders, its UK-wide delivery service had to be paused. The eatery is currently only accepting in-person takeaway orders serviced in London.
The Apprentice runner-up Anisa Khan’s (pictured) business Bombay Pizza is experiencing an ‘incredible surge in demand’ following the 26-year-old’s stint on the BBC reality show
Foodies are travelling for hours and lining up around the block to try the eatery’s unique South Asian-inspired pizzas
To meet customer demand, Anisa also stepped up and began pulling extra shifts in the kitchen with her staff to catch up with the backlog of more than 500 orders.
A statement posted to Bombay Pizza’s social media read: ‘We’re currently experiencing an incredible surge in demand and are truly grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm. To ensure we maintain the quality of our service, we’re temporarily accepting in-person orders only at our restaurant.
‘We’re receiving a high volume of emails and calls, so please bear with us if there’s a delay in our response. Our small team is working hard to get back to everyone as quickly as possible.
‘We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this exciting time. Once things settle down, we’ll resume normal service – and we can’t wait to see you again soon.’
Just days after the message was posted, Bombay Pizza shared a video of Anisa greeting dozens of fans as they queued up outside the restaurant waiting to place their orders.
‘I’m in south Wales and so tempted to drive five hours just to taste these pizzas, they look absolutely delicious,’ one user said.
‘I’m going to have to fly to London to try this, it’s on my bucket list now,’ another replied.
‘My boyfriend and I travelled from London to try this pizza after seeing all the great reviews on The Apprentice. Although the wait time was 2.5 hours, we were happy to wait at a local pub. These pizzas didn’t disappoint. The chicken tikka masala was absolutely delicious,’ a reviewer wrote.
‘I’ve just had the best pizza of my life – the Bombay Pizza in Wallington is an absolute gem! From the first bite, I could tell this wasn’t your average pizza,’ another said.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline earlier this month about how the interest in her pizza changed after her stint on The Apprentice, she said: ‘It was like hundreds of people.
‘We had queues coming out of my takeaway restaurant and it’s amazing.
‘Also it’s amazing because one, it’s great business, but two, it’s nice that I’ve had an impact on so many people.
The final two were tasked with creating a new brand, producing an advertising campaign and then pitching their business to Lord Sugar to receive his £250,000 investment
Off the back of the unique restaurant’s success, Anisa said she wants to open more Bombay Pizza dark kitchens in high-demand areas
‘So it’s strange, because obviously the show I did last year, and I knew I was a finalist the whole time.
‘Like, the whole time the air shows I know how far I got right, I knew I did well on the show, but now the nation has caught up, now everyone’s so proud and I’ve had so many messages, and so many people have come in.
‘I’m trying my best to handle it, because honestly, last Friday and Saturday was just mental. Like, I’ve never experienced that level of busy.’
Bombay Pizza opened in Sutton in 2020 as a dark kitchen serving a range of South-Asian-inspired pizzas.
Popular choices include The CTM, with tandoor-grilled chicken tikka in masala sauce, red onions, mozzarella, and coriander, as well as the Khan’s Keema Special with lamb, spices, peas, cheese and herbs.
Also on offer is the vegan Bombay Brinjal that’s topped with roasted aubergine, mushrooms, spinach and masala spices and the best-selling chilli paneer pizza.
There is also a range of sides like the cheesy garlic coriander and chilli slices and fiery Bombay fries.
Off the back of the unique restaurant’s success, Anisa said she wants to open more Bombay Pizza dark kitchens in high-demand areas.
She told the BBC: ‘This will allow me to grow the business strategically, introduce our innovative menu to more customers, and build towards establishing a nationally recognised brand’.
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